Alcohol abuse worries Mtendere residents

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 09:47:43 +0000

By CHINTU MALAMBO

 STRICT measures must be put in place to ensure youths under the age of 18 years do not drink alcohol, concerned Mtendere parents have said.

Dorothy Kasaka, a parent and resident of Mtendere township, says the area has a lot of unproductive young people who seem to have nothing to do other than spending the whole day at drinking places.

Ms Mumba attributed the high number of youths who engage in alcohol abuse to failure by authorities to regulate bar owners on who to sell alcohol to.

According to Ms Mumba, Mtendere township is one of the areas that has a high number of drinking places in Lusaka.

She said there is need for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who lobby for youth empowerment programmes to implement what they are going to do in order to help young people be responsible citizens in society.

Ms Mumba said it is important for young people to realise that they are the leaders of tomorrow and that there is more to life than engaging in vices that disturb their focus for the future.

“Young people have lost direction and I am worried because I am also a mother and youths especially those below the age of 18 years old no longer see the need to continue going to school because they have made alcohol their first priority,” she said.

And another concerned parent Victor Sichilima of the same area said there is an organisation within Mtendere called African Direction which gained popularity the time it opened and that the introduction of this organisation saw a number of youths occupied with productive activities.

Mr Sichilima urged sponsors to come on board and consider funding such organisations that contributed to the shaping of young people into responsible citizens.

“I have observed that during the time when African Direction was opened, a number of young people benefited a lot from what they learnt and we saw very few of them engaging in things like alcohol abuse and so this youth centre should revamp so that we see change in our young people,” he said